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10-16-21-prince-emili-football-vs-columbia-sukhmani-kaur
Former Penn defensive lineman Prince Emili during an away game at Columbia University on Oct. 16, 2021. Credit: Sukhmani Kaur

On Tuesday, during the final day of mandatory NFL roster cuts, former Penn defensive lineman Prince Emili was released from the Buffalo Bills. 

The Bills appeared to have thought highly enough of Emili to keep him on the trimmed 80-man roster for the final preseason game, but due to deep defensive line depth, likely did not see an immediate need for him on the active roster. Emili will now be placed on waivers, and if he is unclaimed by any other team, he will likely have the opportunity to join the Bills’ practice squad for the upcoming season. 

Emili flashed early in OTAs and training camp, impressing coaches with his strong work ethic and his ability to quickly pick up information, which he credited to his time studying for exams at Penn. 

In his three preseason games, Emili recorded a total of eight tackles and a sack. His best performance arose against the Indianapolis Colts in the team’s first game, where he totaled three tackles — two of which were solo — a tackle for loss, and a sack of quarterback Matt Ryan. 

Emili spent six years with the Red and Blue with two years lost due to a freshman injury and the COVID-19-canceled 2020 season. Over the course of his college career, the defensive lineman racked up two first team All-Ivy nods, including one this past season, and tallied 11 sacks, 162 tackles, and 30.5 tackles for loss across 37 total games.

While Emili was cut from the roster, it wasn’t all bad news for Penn alums on the Bills, as 10-year veteran offensive lineman Greg Van Roten, who played for the Quakers from 2008-2011, appears to still have a spot on the team. The Bills mark the sixth NFL team the journeyman has played on, having just come off a two-year stint with the New York Jets.